I said it, fite me.
Big, easy to see and click tiles to open programs. Opens and closes instantly so full-screen isn't a problem. Not as customizable as I'd like but you can still tweak it a little. It's just better than the equivalent functionality in a regular start menu.
(OTOH the Windows 8.1 "start menu" is a absolute clusterfuck junk drawer and would be completely useless without a search box.)
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